Shoaib pace rattles Kiwis

Shoaib Akhtar bowled sparingly but with telling effect to reduce New Zealand to 151 for five on the first day of the second Test against Pakistan at the Basin Reserve yesterday.

Hampered by the calf-muscle injury that ruled him out of the drawn first test in Hamilton, Shoaib bowled only 11 overs in three short spells but took three wickets for 14 runs to disarm New Zealand, who had batted after winning the toss.

Only a strong innings by opener Mark Richardson, who scored 53, stood between New Zealand and disaster.

Although most of the first session was lost to rain, Richardson remained at the crease for almost four hours, resisting Shoaib's early onslaught and giving the Kiwis some respectability.

Shoaib took the new ball with a rollicking northerly gale at his back and bowled with a pace and accuracy that disconcerted the New Zealand top order. He was unruffled by the gale and also by the break for rain and bad light, which interrupted the morning session after only 17 balls.

With his eighth ball of the day, Shoaib dismissed opener Lou Vincent for a duck and had a ball remaining in his second over when the umpires Dave Orchard and Asoka da Silva gave the batsmen the light.

Three hours later, Shoaib returned to bowl the last ball of his second over, trapping New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming lbw to leave the Kiwis two wickets down with one run on the board.

In the final session, Shoaib struck again when his rising delivery hit Scott Styris on the glove, and wicketkeeper Moin Khan took the catch.

When Shoaib's spells, in which he reached a maximum pace of 96mph, were over, Mohammad Sami took his place downwind and bowled with similar energy.

Richardson guided New Zealand's fightback. He put on 39 in 74 minutes for the third wicket with test debutant Richard Jones, 53 in 65 minutes with Styris and 51 in 104 minutes with Craig McMillan. Fleming said: "It was typical Mark Richardson. He held the innings together and provided the foundation."

He hoped the Kiwis could push towards 300 tomorrow, a total which could be competitive on a pitch that is likely to become slow and low.